Adding to this, I never understood why it's considered so addictive. Smartphones are banal and frustrating to me. However, I'm often on my personal laptop.

I suspect there is something to the refrain that phones are a crutch in those cases where our range of actions is constrained. Through habit they then reflexively take over in other contexts.

This seems like reasobable mechanism, also matches what I saw of older generations developing parasocial relationships with soap operas, often started after being bedridden for some weeks.